Spire Global Wins $3 Million NOAA Extension for Hyperspectral Weather Satellite Data

Spire Global has been awarded a $3 million, six-month contract extension by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to continue evaluating data from its Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder, building on the initial delivery of observations earlier this year. The award includes an additional unfunded option for three more months of data valued at $2 million. The extension will let NOAA assess how the sounder's data can improve numerical weather prediction across a broader range of atmospheric conditions and seasonal weather patterns.

 

Unlike conventional microwave sounders, the technology captures atmospheric observations across more than 2,000 sensing channels spanning key temperature and water vapour bands, enabling high-vertical-resolution atmospheric profiling. The system is also designed to resist radio frequency interference, including spectrum congestion, jamming and spoofing, a resilience feature intended to provide more reliable atmospheric observations, particularly in regions where traditional weather observation infrastructure is limited.

 

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The demonstrator mission launched in January 2026, validating the underlying hyperspectral microwave sounding capabilities and marking a step toward expanding commercial weather sensing more broadly. The data is designed to complement Spire's existing Radio Occultation and GNSS-R sensing products, together providing a more comprehensive picture of atmospheric temperature and moisture for weather agencies.

 

Chief executive Theresa Condor said bringing hyperspectral microwave sounding to a scalable commercial satellite constellation was unlocking a new tier of global weather data, framing the expanded NOAA partnership as demonstrating how commercial innovation and resilient atmospheric data can support the next era of global weather forecasting. Mohammad Belal, Spire's program director for microwave technologies, said the initial phase had demonstrated the sounder could successfully collect high-quality observations from orbit, and that this extension would help the company understand how the data can improve numerical weather prediction and complement existing weather observation systems as demand grows for more detailed atmospheric data to support both forecasting and climate resilience.

 

Source: Spire Global